Hello everyone!
My husband and I just returned to London from two weeks in Paris. We had a brilliant time. While I firmly believe it is impossible to have a bad meal in Paris (logically-it must be possible but I just can't believe it) our favourite meal was dinner at:

Au Grain De Sel
13 rue Jean Beausire 75004 Paris
Metro-Bastille

The restaurant has only been open three months, the dining room is small but elegant, the food remarkably fresh and amazing. I had the Escalopes de foie gras avec deux pommes; while Kevin enjoyed Filet de bar et cabillaud. The owner was very warm and welcoming and she brought the chef out to meet us toward the end of our meal. The owner told us she has a commitment to using only fresh ingredients.

Do give it a try if you are in Paris.

I was also pleased to start each day eating a slice (sometimes two) of pain d'epice au miel with a Christine Ferber jam (poires aux marron glace). Clotilde...do you realize how influential you are?

Joined: 14 Dec 2004Posts: 57Location: boston, the home of the bean and the cod

Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 9:08 pm Post subject:

Hi Jane, how exciting to hear this, my husband and I gave each other a trip to Paris for Christmas and so I am compiling my "lists" of great places to eat. Can you just tell me what the price range for the this great find was. We are on a little bit of a budget but might be able to work it in if the fit is right.
Did you stay anyplace wonderful or can you recommend someplace wonderful? We are still in the planning phase of this critical piece!
Thanks for any help and Happy New Year!_________________"Nobody can teach you how to make the perfect cup of tea. It just happens over time. Wearing cashmere helps of course."

Hi TeaLeaves,
Our bill came to just under 150 Euros and this included starter, main course, cheese course, dessert, and coffee for each of us. We also had a bottle of wine. It was our "big dinner."

We didn't stay in a hotel--we rented a flat for two weeks which we found through http://studio.provaction.com/. I'm afraid I don't know of any hotels. The area we stayed in was Beauborg/Les Halles which we thought was great.

This is a tough time for Americans to visit France what with the exchange rate as it is. However, many restaurants, particularly at lunch, offer very reasonable fixed price menus. We took advantage of these.

They have a 2 course menu thing going on, so we ate for a very reasonable price. The waiter was very patient in letting us decipher the menu and decide in our own time, and that's also v. important as far as I'm concerned.

They also have a "brother" restaurant called Figli delle Stagioni, which I didn't eat at, but would have loved to try.

My new favorite place is a small restaurant in Montmartre called Cafe Burq. very cool, hip, tres french, no tourists, awesome food!!! here's a write up: http://obsdeparis.nouvelobs.com/articles/p97/a29495.htm
I am going again tomorrow for dinner so i will try to write it up over the weekend...

There is also Le Petit Verdot on rue Cherche-Midi in the 6th. Tiny, charming, darling, very good food. Order off the menu, rather than the specials. I always do well off the menu and they have a delicious vegetarian plate that surprised even me...and I'm not a vegetarian!

Last night went to Le Beurre Noisette in the 15th near metro stop Lourmel on line 8. A bit off the beaten path but worth the trek. Small, charming, modern, locals, wonderful food. I'll try to write this up this weekend as well...

Guys, I love you!! I'll be in Paris for the Marathon-weekend,(9-12 april) a friend of mine is running, and we're so happy with all your tips!! I'll make sure to put up all my good finds as soon as I'm back.

cucina testa rossa, please please please tellme the address for this restaurant. We live in Montmartre and love eating at the different places here that are not "touristique". Tried to open the link, but it said not able to be found.

How was your meal? What did you eat? What did you drink? Tell me all!_________________If you cannot feel your arteries hardening, eat more cheese. If you can, drink more red wine. Diet is just "die" with a "t" on the end. Exercise is walking into the kitchen.

You should be back to Kansas by now. I'm sure our fellow foodies would love to hear about your new finds. Did you eat at L'Ardoise? It is one of my favorite places to go to. Did you know that the chef-owner used to be one of the chefs at The Crillon Hotel - Les Ambassadeurs? He got tired of cooking haute cuisine but loved to do "cuisine de grandmere" so L'Ardoise was born.

Looking forward to hearing about your apartment in the Marais and all the wonderful things you did while in the City of Lights._________________"A man hath no better thing under the sun than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry."

cucina testa rossa, please please please tellme the address for this restaurant. We live in Montmartre and love eating at the different places here that are not "touristique". Tried to open the link, but it said not able to be found.

How was your meal? What did you eat? What did you drink? Tell me all!

Debbie - I am SO sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I just found your request! Cafe Burq is located at 6, rue Burq off rue des Abbesses, a few blocks from the metro Abbesses. I have since eaten there about 3 times and it is always wonderful. The last time we started at the bar with the Baked Camembert with honey, toasted pine nuts on a bed of arugula. YUM. And a red wine (can't remember) that the bartender recommended. Then I had a potimarron soup with pesto that was delicious. A poached salmon that melted in your mouth. The dessert I rememebr wasn't that remarkable, trying to compensate for lack of taste with fancy plating, but the rest of the meal was delightful. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any other questions: chef@cucinatestarossa.com_________________cucina testa rossa
http://cucinatestarossa.blogs.com